Danbury, CT: Strategy to make students "more calm, relaxed and more settled"

Nov 30, 2017, Danbury (CT) News Time: Bethel school programs aims to “de-stress” students http://www.newstimes.com/local/article/Bethel-school-programs-aims-to-de-stress-12396491.php ...This is one of the activities Coffey does with students as part of a program called Healthy Minds/Healthy Bodies that is meant to improve the kids’ physical and mental well-being. The exercise and other activities are meant to get students to de-stress and focus. “They’re feeling more calm, relaxed and more settled, and then they’re able to access their education because of that,” Coffey said. … The kids said it worked. The school is in its third year of the Healthy Minds/Healthy Bodies program, paid for with a $4,400 grant from the state Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Officials from the Department of Public Health have told Johnson the school’s program could be a model for the CDC, said Bethel Health Director Laura Vasile, who worked to secure the grant. Next year, Johnson might create a tool kit for other schools across the country. The program also provides workshops for teachers and parents on how to incorporate mindfulness techniques in the classroom and at home. Coffey also created a website with resources for parents. …